Tuvok
Lieutenant Commander Tuvok was Tactical officer aboard [[USS Voyager|USS Voyager]] from 2371. He served in this post for the seven years that Voyager was stranded in the Delta Quadrant. Early life Tuvok was born in 2264 on Vulcanis Lunar Colony. (VOY: "Unimatrix Zero, Part II") As a teenager, he rebelled against the Vulcan ideal of logic and reasoning when he fell in love with the daughter of an ambassador to Vulcan. He was sent to study with a Vulcan master, where he learned to subdue his emotions. (VOY:Gravity) He had to survive in the Vulcan desert for four months with a ritual blade as his only possession, as part of the tal'oth ritual. (VOY: "Displaced") Starfleet Academy Tuvok entered Starfleet Academy at the age of 25 but found it difficult to fit in. He found the egocentric nature of humans difficult to deal with but endured it because it was the wish of his parents to enter Starfleet and he felt obligated to fulfill their expectations. His experiences at the Academy would stay with him until his first assignment after which he resigned his Starfleet commision. (VOY:"Flashback") Early Starfleet career After Tuvok graduated from Starfleet Academy in 2293 he was assigned to the [[USS Excelsior|USS Excelsior]] under the command of Captain Hikaru Sulu and was present during the Excelsior's attempt to rescue James T. Kirk and Leonard McCoy from the Klingon penal colony Rura Penthe. This was despite a direct order from Starfleet that no rescue attempt must be tried. Tuvok protested to Captain Sulu about his breach of orders, but to no avail. In the subsequent battle in the Azure Nebula with a Klingon battle cruiser, crewmember Dimitri Valtane died in Tuvok's arms and an alien virus that Valtane was carrying transferred itself to Tuvok, and then disguised itself as a repressed memory engram. This virus would later manifest itself in 2373 when Tuvok served aboard Voyager, before being destroyed by the Doctor. :Details of this incident should be taken with a grain of salt though, considering the neurological maladies suffered by Tuvok in his later years, not least of all a memory virus infecting this area of his brain. After the Excelsior's mission ended Tuvok resigned his commision on account of his dealings with humans and returned to Vulcan, where he taught archery science for several years at the Vulcan Institute of Defensive Arts. (VOY: "Basics, Part II") He then spent several years in seclusion by immersing himself in the Kolinahr. After his marriage to T'Pel he decided to return to Starfleet because raising his own children made Tuvok realize what his parents had gone through and that he had not always made the right decisions when he was young. Tuvok entered Starfleet again in 2343 and served as an Ensign on the [[USS Wyoming|USS Wyoming]]. (VOY: "Flashback") Tuvok was an instructor at Starfleet Academy for fifteen years, a role he would resume aboard Voyager to instruct Maquis crewmen in ship protocols.(VOY: "Learning Curve") He would also serve as as instructor to Icheb in his pursuits to join Starfleet. (VOY: "Child's Play") Tuvok first met Kathryn Janeway in 2363. Tuvok dressed Janeway down in front of three Starfleet admirals for failing to observe proper tactical procedures during her first command. Although this encounter bruised Janeways "human ego", nevertheless Tuvok was right, and they would become friends. (VOY: "Revulsion") During the mid-2360s, Tuvok was temporarily assigned to Jupiter Station where he would often write to Captain Janeway. (VOY: "Tuvix") Aboard the USS Voyager Tuvok was assigned to Voyager as a lieutenant under the command of Captain Kathryn Janeway. He was serving as security officer when, in 2371, he infiltrated the crew of the Maquis raider commanded by the former Starfleet officer, Chakotay. While hiding from a Cardassian ship in the Badlands, the Raider was hit by an energy wave which transported it over 70,000 light-years to the Delta Quadrant. While looking for the missing Raider, Voyager itself was also hit by the energy wave and transported to the Delta Quadrant, reuniting Tuvok with his ship -- much to Chakotay's dismay. (VOY: "Caretaker") Faced with the merger of Starfleet and Maquis crews Tuvok wrote a drill simulation, "Insurrection Alpha", in the event of crew mutiny on Voyager. The crew accidentally discovered this simulation, a few years later, mistaking it for a holonovel. (VOY: "Worst Case Scenario") Janeway and Chakotay, infected by an alien disease, were forced to be left behind on an alien planet, leaving Tuvok in command of an uneasy crew. At the insistence of the crew, uncomfortable with abandoning their captain and first officer, he sought a remedy from the Vidiian physician, Danara Pel. (VOY: "Resolution") In 2372, a transporter accident caused Tuvok to be combined with crewmate Neelix at a molecular level, forming a new individual, Tuvix. Tuvix possesed the memories of both men, and had a mixture of their personalities. It took the Doctor over a month to find a method to restore Tuvok and Neelix to their original state. (VOY: "Tuvix") On Stardate 49301.2 Tuvok represented Quinn, as counsel, in his request for asylum, since Vulcans practice Euthanasia for the infirm and elderly. (VOY: "Death Wish") This was a role he would reprise to defend the Doctor's rights as a sentient being. (VOY: "Author, Author") His investigation of a senseless murder aboard Voyager resulted with apprehending the disturbed Lon Suder, and with the loss of control over his own emotions (VOY: "Meld"). He would later offer a Vulcan prayer for Mr. Suder, having redeemed himself just prior to his death. (VOY: "Basics, Part II") In 2374, Tuvok was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander by Captain Janeway. (VOY: "Revulsion") Multispatial sheilding technology developed by Tuvok went into Voyager's Multispatial probe and was later adapted for use in designing the Delta Flyer. (VOY: "Extreme Risk") By 2376, Tuvok had received 17 commendations for valor. (VOY: "Riddles") In 2377, Tuvok had received a message from his son Sek over a datastream aboard Voyager regarding his studies of music. Unbeknownst to either of them, Bajoran radical Teero Anaydis hid a subliminal message set to Vulcan brainwaves in the message, so that when Tuvok watched the message, it activated a mind control program in his psyche that Teero had implanted years earlier. (VOY: "Repression") Tuvok, Janeway, and B'Elanna Torres allowed themselve to be assimilated by the Borg, carrying a pathogen to help the drones of Unimatrix Zero resist the Borg Queen. (VOY: "Unimatrix Zero, Part II") Tuvok's neural peptides had been deteriorating for years, unknown to anyone but the Doctor. His declining mental state could only be treated in the Alpha Quadrant by means of a Fal-tor-voh with a compatible Vulcan, i.e. a blood relative. Fortunately, he was able to return home, along with Voyager in 2378. (VOY: "Endgame") Personal interests Tuvok was a prize-winning orchid breeder. (VOY: "Tuvix") Tuvok's main pastime was the Vulcan game Kal-toh, which he frequently played with Ensign Harry Kim. Tuvok also spent his spare time meditating, and instructed various members of the crew in this pursuit over the years. (VOY: "Alter Ego", "Juggernaut") He was an avid student and observer of many Alpha Quadrant martial arts, including Earth sumo wrestling. (VOY: Latent Image") Personal relationships Family , the wife of Tuvok.]] , the son of Tuvok.]] Tuvok married T'Pel in 2304, and later had four children, three sons and a daughter. In 2374, he learned that his eldest son Sek had a child, named T'Meni after his mother, making him a grandfather. (VOY: "Hunters", "Repression") His youngest child, Asil, was born in the city of T'Paal. Tuvok's friend, Kathryn Janeway attended Asil's Kohlinar. (VOY: "Fury", "Unimatrix Zero, Part II") :According to the officially licensed Star Trek: The Magazine, his other sons names are Varith and Elieth. It also says his parents names are T'Meni and Sunak, how ever there is no canon source. :An early draft for "Repression" had Tuvok working with Asil, who was a police detective on Vulcan. The two of them caught up on the life she'd created while he was in the Delta Quadrant, while they worked together to solve a series of murders on Vulcan. Friendship Kathryn Janeway His closest friend aboard Voyager was Captain Janeway herself, who trusted him completely, and whom he considered the closest thing to family aboard Voyager. (VOY: "Caretaker", "Flashback") Neelix * Neelix and Tuvok are the proverbial "odd couple" of Voyager. Although Neelix was very fond of the Vulcan, his feelings were not reciprocated, until an incident when Tuvok lost his memory after an attack by mysterious aliens, called the Ba'neth. Neelix helped Tukok to recover, strengthening their friendship. It was during this time that he gained an appreciation for pastry baking and jazz music. (VOY: "Riddles"). * Tuvok must share his quarters with Neelix, when a shipload of Klingons in the Delta Quadrant come aboard, to Tuvok's chagrin. (VOY: "Prophecy") * Tuvok encourages Neelix to assist an imperiled Talaxian settlement, and be reunited with his people. As a going away gift Tuvok dances a brief step, to the delight of Neelix (VOY: "Homestead") Romance * Despite Tuvok being married, he did become very close to a young woman, Noss, while stranded on an inhospitable planet for a number of months. However, after he was rescued, he explained to her that they could only be friends. (VOY: "Gravity") * Before that, he became strangely attracted to Marayna, one of the holodeck characters, because of her fresh thoughts, pure logic, and intelligence. Tuvok and B'Elanna Torres discovered that Marayna is actually a projection of someone lonely, outside of the ship. Tuvok convinced her to return home, and spend some time with her people. (VOY: "Alter Ego") Mental Health * On many occasions Tuvok, and the crew of Voyager, have been subjected to brain trauma and tampering. (VOY: "Waking Moments", "Cathexis", "Persistence of Vision", "The Killing Game, Part I", "The Killing Game, Part II", "Memorial" , "The Gift", "Scientific Method", "Workforce, Part I", "Workforce, Part II", "Bliss", "Unforgettable", "Repression", et al). This has, no doubt, affected Tuvok's overall mental performance. Chronology * 2264: Born on the Vulcanis Lunar Colony. * 2293: Graduates Starfleet Academy; serves as a junior science officer aboard the [[USS Excelsior|USS Excelsior]]. * 2293: Resigns from Starfleet. * 2304: Marries to T'Pel. * 2343: Returns to Starfleet; serves aboard the [[USS Wyoming|USS Wyoming]]. * 234?: Serves as an instructor at Starfleet Academy for a period of 15 years. * 2363: First meets Kathryn Janeway. * mid-2360s: Tuvok was temporarily assigned to Jupiter Station. * 2370: Assigned as Chief Tactical Officer of the [[USS Voyager|USS Voyager]]. * 2371: Infiltrates a Maquis ship; transported to the Delta Quadrant. * 2374: Promoted to Lieutenant Commander; granddaughter T'Meni is born. * 2376: Assimilated by the Borg * 2378: Returns to the Alpha Quadrant :Tuvok: "I'm afraid you both lack sufficient data to reach a logical conclusion" :Tom Paris: "C'mon, Tuvok, tell us." :Tuvok: "I see no reason to enlighten you." :Harry Kim: "Don't tell me Vulcans are embarrassed about their age." :Tuvok: "On the contrary, we value the wisdom that comes with advancing years." :Tom Paris: "In that case, how '''wise' are you?"'' :Tuvok: "Wise enough to end this inquiry." Background Tuvok was played by actor Tim Russ. The young Tuvok seen in Gravity was played by actor LeRoy D. Brazile. A Tuvok action figure by Playmates Toys was the favorite toy of Little Donny in the ''Upright Citizen's Brigade episode "Little Donny Foundation". Little Donny also drew pictures of Tuvok exclaiming that "Tuvok is never getting home!"'' Tim Russ appeared too in "Star Trek Generations", where he played a (human) lieutenant on the bridge of the Enterprise-B Apocrypha ''In the Voyager relaunch book series, Tuvok was cured of his illness by his son, and was promoted to Commander. He then began teaching at Starfleet Academy with Admiral Janeway. ''In the Star Trek: Titan book series, Tuvok was tapped as a Starfleet Intelligence officer while teaching at the academy. He was sent undercover to Romulus to make contact with Ambassador Spock. Coincidentally, Shinzon assassinates the Romulan Senate simultaneously and in the ensuing chaos, Tuvok is jailed before being rescued by the crew of USS Titan. He provisionally joins the crew as tactical officer after the ship's regular tactical officer, Lt. Commander Ranul Keru, becomes comatose as a result of battle damage; he reasoned that his experiences in the Delta Quadrant would be an asset to Titan and its mission. de:Tuvok Tuvok Tuvok Tuvok Category:Maquis personnel